Chapter 50

Ididn’t stop running until I’d reached the arch beneath the rocks. My legs and lungs burned, at odds with the cold from running through the rain.

In true Clarity Coast fashion, the storm hit hard and fast. It wouldn’t last long, but while it did, it was fierce.

The tide was at its lowest point, exposing what felt like miles of sand and leaving behind treasures you couldn’t find otherwise. Shells and seaglass, the occasional bottle. Left behind and abandoned.

Pain lanced through my chest, everything crashing down on me over again. They knew.

They knew.

They knew.

They knew.

They knew and didn’t tell me.

My rational brain told me something wasn’t right with this. Ellie had wanted to explain. And I knew Beau always twisted things. But my rational brain wasn’t here right now. It left the building the second my sister went pale, confirming my worst fear: That I couldn’t trust anyone. Not even those closest to me.

Lightning split the sky, striking the ocean far out in the distance, the thunder booming seconds later. I tilted my face back to the sky and let the rain hit me. I was already soaked through, and I didn’t care. It felt good to be out here and ruined.

At the very least, the world mimicked the way I felt. Not another sunny Clarity day where everything was happy and perfect while I was breaking apart.

The only thing that was right was them. Steady in my chest. Not flooding me with love or trying to stop this. Letting me feel it because I needed to feel it. If I wanted them, I already knew they’d be there as fast as physically possible.

But I didn’t want them here for this. I didn’t want them to see me this broken.

A sob broke through, making me collapse in on myself. My chest hurt. The last time I felt like this, I ran away to the other side of the country and didn’t come back. There wasn’t anywhere to run this time. Not when the people meant to be on my side weren’t.

The beach stretched out in front of me, nothing but rain and sand and distant waves looking as lonely as I felt.

Wind picked up, turning the rain sharp, and the thunder was louder. Black clouds swelled and the world darkened. Even the shallows churned with the sudden fierceness of the storm, and fuck it felt good.

I wanted to scream and not be the loudest thing. I wanted to feel insignificant in the face of this vast ocean, because if I was small, there was something bigger than this.

Waves brushed my toes. I hadn’t even realized I’d walked forward, all the way down to the tidal break, where the waves rushed in around my ankles. Sucked the sand from beneath my feet. Called me with sinister whispers and pushed me away at the same time.

Sloshing deeper, I stopped when the water reached my knees. Lightning flashed again, and this time I knew it was coming. I waited for the thunder and screamed.

I screamed until I didn’t have breath.

I screamed until it hurt.

I waited for the thunder to drown me out.

And then I didn’t wait anymore. I screamed and sobbed, giving in to everything.

Everything.

Every time I’d had small tears and pushed them back. All those times I told myself it wasn’t worth it to cry or give in to the pain. Each instance I’d teared up with my pack over the simple joy of being treated like a person.

This had been hovering on the edges for a long time now, and it was here. My storm overcoming me at the same time the storm crashed into the rest of us.

I couldn’t stop it now, ragged sobs choking me, the sounds ugly and raw. Everything made the pain worse. It pulsed with my heart and shook me. Stole every bit of brightness I thought I had and smothered it.

No matter what happened, I would never forget feeling like someone slipped a knife between my ribs, reaching the part of me they’d promised to protect. Like the cliffs were crumbling beneath my feet and the net my pack had given me wasn’t there. All that lay at the bottom was sand and the remnants of too many hopes.

Another rolling boom of thunder, so hard I felt it in my bones.

Like it had finally cracked the rest of me, everything flowed out. All the pain and rage. The betrayal. The whys. Everything drained out until I felt as flat as the rained-on sea, and left me tired.

I barely heard the splashing of steps before arms circled me from behind. Vaughn. Deep citrus infused the wet air, sharper than normal. Threads of rotten darkness—his anger at Beau and sadness for me. He hadn’t come until I needed him.

I hadn’t even realized I called, but I had.

Vaughn scooped me up and carried me out of the water without a word. We didn’t go back to the mansion. He carried me straight up the path, weaving back and forth on the switchbacks until we broke over the top, and Rowan was already there unlocking the gate.

I was passed to Joel, and I closed my eyes, not willing to be anywhere at all. They brought me inside and I moved when they told me, helping them get me out of the dress and letting them towel me off. A blanket that was warm wrapped around me, and it was Hawk who carried me to the nest and into delicious darkness and safety.

He kissed my temple. “We’ve got you, baby girl.”

They had me.

And they wouldn’t let me fall, even when the cliffs crumbled.

At some point, I fell asleep.

When I woke, a low, rumbling purr vibrated beneath my ear and the scent of bourbon curled around me. Joel, who was now dry. I pulled my eyes open, though they were heavy. They were all here with me. Vaughn looked like he was sleeping, Rowan scribbled in a notebook, Hawk and Cade were on their phones. All dry now.

“I made you all get wet,” I said.

Four pairs of eyes locked on me, and Joel’s purr grew louder. Vaughn smiled, stretching from his nap too. “We don’t mind, sweetheart.”

Before, when I needed it, they’d kept their distance. Now that I was in their arms, our bonds were flooded with love and comfort and happiness that I was here with them. “That didn’t go as planned, huh?”

Joel chuckled, interrupting his purr briefly. “No, I’d say not.”

“Did you hit him?”

“Rowan did. Once. And only because he swung first.”

I pulled my blanket more snugly around me. “That’s too bad.”

Amusement and pride in my chest from all of them.

Joel stroked a hand slowly over my hair. “Do you want to talk about it?”

“What is there left to say?”

Hawk sighed. “We talked to your dad.”

My stomach twisted. “Did he say anything?”

“Not much. But enough that we think you should talk to them. All of them.”

Tears came to my eyes, and I squeezed them closed. I didn’t want to cry anymore. Now that I was awake my head hurt and I didn’t want it anymore. “I’m not sure there’s a point.”

Slowly, Joel pulled me up his body and arranged me so I sat with my back to his chest and he could hold me better. Rowan leaned forward and caught my eyes. I felt him touch our bond with tenderness and control. “We’ll never force you to do anything you don’t want to, Isolde. But I want you to remember one thing.”

“What’s that?”

He sighed. “Beau was trying to hurt you. It was the reason he told the five of us he cheated, because he wanted that news, coming from us, to hurt you and drive a wedge between us. But it didn’t. You announced it, and because he’s a piece of shit, he retaliated by hurting you the last place he could, with the one thing he hadn’t been able to touch.”

“So you’re saying they didn’t know?”

“No, I’m not saying that. But from the little I know, you might want to hear them out. The truth might not be the way he made it look.”

“Also,” Hawk cleared his throat. I felt the way he didn’t want to say whatever was coming next. He scratched the back of his neck. “Your family would like to know if you’re still coming to the wedding tomorrow.”

Panic clawed at my chest. The thought of not going broke me apart, but how could I go now? Everything was a mess and it all rose up like a tidal wave.

Rowan lunged forward and took my face in his hands. “Breathe, little flower. Take a big breath and hold it.”

Command laced through his tone, giving my Omega no choice but to obey. I hauled in a breath and held it, getting lost in the warm brown of his gaze.

“Blow it out slowly.”

I did.

“Now take another one.”

When I obeyed, his thumbs moved back and forth over my jaw gently. “Good girl. Now don’t panic, because we’ve got you, okay? No matter what you decide, everything’s going to be okay.” A whine slipped out, but he didn’t stop talking. “We’ll go little by little. Do you want to talk to your family about what happened?”

My lips trembled. Did I want to? No. Did I need to? “Yes.”

“Okay. Do you want to talk to them tonight?”

I shook my head.

“In the morning?”

The wedding wasn’t until the afternoon, so that would be fine. “That’s fine.”

“And do you want to go to the wedding?”

“Yeah.” My voice shook, and a tear spilled over.

Rowan nodded slowly and pressed his forehead to mine. “And may we tell them all of that?”

Finally, I nodded.

“Thank you.”

In the corner of my eye I saw Hawk typing on his phone, probably to send that exact message.

Joel smoothed his hands down my spine. “It’s still rainy,” he said quietly. “It might be a good time for a movie.”

“That would be nice. But if you guys want to do your own thing, that’s okay. I’ll be fine.”

Cade crawled over and pulled me to him. “We can feel you’re not fine, princess, and it’s okay to not be fine. You’re not alone anymore. You don’t have to hold everything in. We share it. Lift the burden together. It’s one of the best things about having a pack.”

Our bond shimmered with the truth of his statement.

“And I, for one, haven’t had nearly enough time with my Omega yet. I don’t think I will for a while. So whatever we’re doing, we’re doing as a family. Right?”

Affirmative answers all around.

I leaned against him, all the tension flowing out of me. “Thank you.”

“Do you like popcorn?” Vaughn asked.

“Only if it’s white cheddar.”

He nodded. “I can make that happen.”

I looked at Rowan. “Can I wear one of your hoodies? You’re the biggest, so it’ll be like a blanket.”

“Of course you can.” His smile crinkled his eyes at the corners, and I loved that. “I’ll grab one.”

Joel helped me to my feet, but he didn’t let me go. Just as well, I felt unsteady on my feet. With Rowan’s hoodie swallowing me whole, I curled up next to him on the couch. But I didn’t stay there, moving from one to the other when my Omega needed them.

They held me until we were all falling asleep, the sun long set. Even after, they didn’t let me go.